Generation Exceptional

S4B Series EP07 - High Performance Coaching for High Performance Teams

In today's episode we have the pleasure of chatting with Greg Baker. Greg is Head Coach to the British Para Table Tennis team. Greg was instrumental in the success of British Para Table Tennis achieving multiple medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and securing record breaking results in Rio 2016, assisting Great Britain to finish in the top 2 of the medals table. He has competed and worked in High Performance Coaching for over 20 years, coaching elite athletes, coaches, support staff and senior leaders. Greg’s Performance Coaching and Head Coach Leadership to date has delivered over 60 major medals, including 2 Paralympic Gold medallists, 2 World Champions and 10 European Gold medallists. A proven ability to increase medal success and creating a gold medal-winning programme together with enhancing and embedding a value based performance culture. Greg believes in leadership responsibility at all levels within an organisation and delivers his coaching/leadership with trust, respect, honesty, intuition and collaboration. Greg's selfless dedication to his role as coach is not only inspiring high performance in his athletes, but he's bringing those same skills into the business arena to help business leaders learn from and benefit from his highly person centred approach to coaching.

S4B Series EP06 - Communication During Uncertain Times

In today's episode the S4B team are discussing the tricky subject of how to communicate effectively both at an organisational and an individual level.

With a focus on clarity, brevity and multi-media delivery we discuss our own thoughts on how best to maintain good communication as we head into even more change and uncertainty as we begin the slow return from lockdown.

S4B Series EP05 - Developing Personal and Organisational Resilience

Following 4 years in the Royal Marines and a further 20 years as part of the elite UK Special Forces, Jem Hills has built a highly deserved reputation as an inspirational speaker and coach as well as a risk management consultant, consulting with organisations to help them develop organisational resilience.

Not only has he first hand experience of developing the resilience needed to get through the rigorous training and operational requirements of being a member of the Special Forces, but he also endured the unimaginable reality when his main chute and then his reserve chute failed to deploy while parachuting, landing hard and miraculously walking away with his life.

Jem shares his thoughts around how we can build and develop our resilience, something we all need right now.

You can learn more about Jem by visiting his website www.jemhills.com or find him on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JemHillsSpeaker/

S4B Series EP04 - Anxiety

In today's episode the S4B team are discussing their personal experiences of dealing with anxiety.

Anxiety may be a normal and highly effective state, designed to keep us safe. The problem is our anxiety can sometimes get out of hand, often creating greater problems than it actually solves.

This is an enlightening episode where we share some real and honest stories of our own struggles with anxiety, touching on social anxiety, general anxiety disorder and PTSD and we share with you how SUDs can help you manage your anxiety!

Don't forget to follow us on LinkedIn at our dedicated S4B LinkedIn Page. Here's the link to save you searching S4B LinkedIn Page

S4B Series EP03 - Isolation and Loneliness during a Pandemic

On today's S4B Podcast we're talking about the impact on mental health of being isolated during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

We discuss how feeling isolated, whether at home or within an organisation can lead to feelings of loneliness, anxiety and depression and what colleagues and managers can do to support those who may be feeling the negative effects of isolation.

If you're looking for some help and support, the service Pete mentions, being run by Peterborough Council but available to anyone we understand, can be found on their website at http://keepyourhead.com/ or give them a call on 01733 747474.

Drop us a comment and let us know what you'd like us to talk about for future episodes. What L&D or Business issues do you think need to be discussed?

And to make sure you don't miss future episodes, don't forget to hit follow or subscribe so you get a notification each Friday as a new episode is released.

Ep 51 - Creative Writing with Julia McGuinness

"From writing stories for my younger brother, to penning poems for the School Magazine and filling a growing pile of personal journals, the written word has always been part of my life’s journey."

My guest today, Julia McGuinness, started out as an English Teacher and subsequently retrained as a Counsellor.

As well as doing some freelance journalism and written four non-fiction books, creative writing has become Julia's main focus in recent years.

Her poems have appeared online on sites including Amaryllis, Silver Birch Press, Clear Poetry, Spilling Cocoa Over Martin Amis, Riggwelter and Ink,Sweat and Tears. She has been published in Curlew and Bucks Mill Magazine, and anthologised in Our Hearts Still Sing. Her first poetry collection, Chester City Walls, came out in 2015.

In 2018 Julia was commended in the Wirral Festival of Firsts and Poetry Space competitions. She was appointed to a volunteer role as Poet-in-Residence at Chester Cathedral in August 2019.

Julia runs Write for Growth workshops for creativity and well-being, and a monthly journalling group, Way With Words, in Chester. She runs regular creative writing sessions for those affected by cancer at a Maggie’s Centre, as well as other one-off sessions e.g. most recently, for a Birth Trauma recovery support group.

Pathways Through the Page is her independently-organised CPD workshop event for fellow health professionals, though she has also been brought in to train other groups, including CRUSE, Beacon Counselling and various Hospice Counsellor groups.

Since the advent of Covid-19,Julia has been taking her workshops online and introduced a journalling course, Writing our Path, to encourage and support the use of personal journalling through these unsettling times.

Julia's Facebook page is: Creative Connections Cheshire or visit her website Creative Connections Cheshire

The Eventbrite link for Julia's Autumn Journalling Course is: https://wwweventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-our-path-a-6-week-journalling-course-tickets-115028573560

The Eventbrite link for the half-price taster on 26th August is: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-our-path-a-journalling-workshop-taster-tickets-115099158682

Ep 50 - Job Hunting Support for the Over 40s PART 2

After the incredible feedback we got from Episode 49, Job Hunting Support for the Over 40s, with career coach Nicola Callan of BoostHR, we felt there was so much more to share that we came back again for round 2.

In this episode we follow on from Nicola's fantastic tips and advice with even more fabulous ideas to help anyone currently or expecting to be on the job market secure their next dream job!

Nicola's advice is practical, clear and easily actionable.

Today we look at where to find these jobs, how to make your LinkedIn profile really work for you, making sure you focus on your transferable skills, preparing for interview and getting good quality feedback.

You can contact Nicola via her LinkedIn page BoostHR or connect with her direction via her LinkedIn profile Nicola Callan but do send a connection request and mention that you heard her on the Generation Exceptional podcast so she known to accept your connection request. You can also find out more about Nicola's work at her website www.boosthr.co.uk

Ep 49 - Job Hunting Support for the Over 40s

As we come out of lockdown and furlough comes to an end most people agree that the job market is going to shrink and unemployment is going to rise.

For many older workers, those aged 40 years plus, they may well find themselves jobless for the first time in very many years.

My guest today is Nicola Callan, owner of Boost HR. Nicola asks...

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Nicola told me that even in her early forties, she still doesn’t know the answer to that question but that doing what she loves is crucial.

She helps organisations with people development, coaching approaches and HR practices, and Boost HR was created upon the belief that everyone has the right and the opportunity to do work that they love and that this can be achieved in role and when looking for work.

In her career coaching, Nicola helps people identify their values and drivers so that they can find work they love, she supports in a very practical sense working with her clients on job searching, CV writing and interview skills and becomes a champion, a cheerleader and a confidence builder in what can often be a daunting time.

There are some free resources to help yourself to on Nicola’s website, no email addresses or other personal details need to be left. Head to the blogs page for the two-part ‘How to make a great first impression, remotely’ and to the Free Stuff page for top tips for CV writing. You can find out more about Nicola and Boost HR by visiting www.boosthr.co.uk and you can follow the Boost HR company page on Linked In or connect directly with Nicola on Linked In.